Conferencing environments, such as boardrooms, video conferencing settings, and the like, can involve the use of microphones for capturing sound from audio sources. The audio sources may include human speakers, for example. The captured sound may be disseminated to an audience through speakers in the environment, a telecast, and/or a webcast. In some environments, the microphones may be placed on a table or lectern near the audio source in order to capture the sound. However, such microphones may be obtrusive or undesirable, due to their size and/or the aesthetics of the environment the microphones are being used in. In addition, microphones placed on a table can detect undesirable noise, such as the shuffling of papers. Microphones placed on a table may also be covered or obstructed, such as by paper, cloth, or napkins, so that the sound is not properly or optimally captured.
In other environments, the microphones may include shotgun microphones that are primarily sensitive to sounds in one direction. The shotgun microphones can be located farther away from an audio source and be directed to detect the sound from a particular audio source by pointing the microphone at the area occupied by the audio source. However, it can be difficult and tedious to determine the direction to point a shotgun microphone to optimally detect the sound coming from its audio source. Trial and error may be needed to adjust the position of the shotgun microphone for optimal detection of sound from an audio source. As such, the sound from the audio source may not be ideally detected unless and until the position of the microphone is properly adjusted.
Accordingly, there is an opportunity for systems that address these concerns. More particularly, there is an opportunity for systems including an integrated microphone and lighting device that is unobtrusive, can enable the adjustment of the microphone to optimally detect sounds from an audio source, and can simultaneously illuminate the audio source, e.g., a human speaker.